Sade - Soldier Of Love Review

For Sade, music has always been about the sincerity in the message and embracing the truth of life; Yes, it's painful at times but within every aspect of it there is love. On their latest album, Soldier of Love, they're not only telling this truth, they're living it in their music.

The album opens with "Moon and The Sky", a potent tale of the sadness felt after a relationships demise. For Sade it's the painful confession of a love broken and lost. For a former lover it's a sobering reminder that love's hold can be as binding as the regret felt afterwards. "You'll always know the reason why / We couldn't have the moon and sky....The reason why this love ain't gon' let you go."

The lead single, "Soldier of Love," is the sole heavy rock inspired song on the album. Over the bands military style beat of minimalist drums, heavy guitar jabs, and sparse horn blares Sade effectively sings of surviving the hardships of love and life, "I've lost the use of my heart / But I'm still alive / Still looking for the light / And the endless pull on the other side." It's her serene tale of war and strength. And it's the most hard hitting the band has been in years.

Literally taking inspiration from the world outside her window, Sade creates the softly organic songs, "Morning Bird," a weeping tale of being discarded by a lover and "The Safest Place," a promise to her lover that her heart is the safest place on earth. Over gentle violins, soft guitar plucks and haunting synth wails Sade profeses that, "My Heart has been a lonely warrior / Who's been to war / So you can be sure / Your love's in a sacred place / The safest hiding place"

Undoubtedly the charmer of the album is the uber cute, "Babyfather." A rare topic for any artist to cover, Sade creates an ode to a father's love for his daughter. As sunny guitars strum over an island drum beat, Sade and her daughter, Ila, sing of a father's love in it's finest form, "For you he's the best he can be / Oh child don't you know? / Your daddy love come with a lifetime gaurantee." It's simply adorable.

"In Another Time" is the sweetest song of pride and triumph and strangely one of the most romantic songs of the album. Soft saxophone lilts and violin chords weave in between gentle guitar strums and light piano keys creating a sound reminiscent to a 50's prom. And it's fitting as Sade sings of a promising future to a gentle girl lost amongst a crowd of mean girls, "Darling I just want you to know your tears won't leave a trace / In another time girl / In another place."

Not afraid of recreating familiar sounds, Sade pulls inspiration from the old West to create "Be That Easy," a mellow country song about the the difficulty of living and the ease of loving a man who pushes you above the pain. The song floats along like the warmest desert breeze and wafts into your ears like a gentle camp fire lullaby.

The albums only failings are the the dull "Bring Me Home" and the somewhat above average, "Skin." Neither are particularly horrible songs but what they lack is the musical flare to invigorate the senses. They sit blandly in between a trio of dazzling songs and break up the flow of the album instead maintaining it's emotional richness.

Using love as their star player, Sade has crafted Soldier Of Love into a softly powerful album that showcases all of the triumphs and hardships of love and allows their listeners to see life as both misery and joy, war and peace, or rather a beautiful battle field.